Fraser A. Gorman
Walking to Oman’s
Caroline
Fraser A. Gorman has been on a music hiatus for the last three years since the release of his debut album Slow Gum back in 2015. His music, heavily influenced by that timeless 70’s Americana slow melodic country-blues, took him through Europe, the UK and Australia at 23.
Last week saw the release of his latest single Walking to Oman’s. It’s a pleasant song with a gentle melody which is easy to listen to. Hachiku’s vocal input through the chorus is well paired and there are some really pretty riffs to compliment delicate lyrics in the chorus. It’s easy to like but it definitely isn’t a song that you could love. To be frank, there isn’t enough curves in the song to wrap your arms around enough to love it. The song starts slowly with an intro that feels chunky then continues without really ever moving or going anywhere.
It’s reminiscent of Vance Joy’s last album Fire and the Flood because of it’s elegant tune, but it doesn’t have the drama that previous works of his have included. It strikes an interesting argument. Gorman says “Walking to Oman’s is a song I wrote whilst on a trip to the Otway forest to visit an old friend. It’s a song about getting lost in addiction and looking for a way out. It was inspired by the great, overarching trees that towered over me as I walked through the forest. So thick they nearly black out the sky.”
Audiences sometimes expect an artist to impress them. They want a texture they can rip their teeth into and make them feel something that surprises them. It’s an unfair expectation and maybe this is an example of an artist that wrote a song that was a channel for his experience rather than something for the audience to listen to. After a three-year break though, the wolves have gotten hungry and this single won’t quite keep their bellies full.
To coincide with the release of the single, Gorman will be supporting Iron & Wine in Perth at the Astor Theatre on Saturday, 2 June 2018.
ANNIE MUNROE
